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Can't Decide on a Major...

xanis

xanis

Lifer
I've posted several threads about colleges and the military in the last couple months, because I'm a junior this year and I've been looking at colleges. I've decided that if I'm going to join the military, it will be after college. I have a several ideas on what I want to do, but I'm having a hard time making a decision. I know that I can always switch my major when I get to college, but I would like to have some sense of what I want to do.

I'm kind of torn because I want to do something along the lines of Graphic Design or Computer and Information Systems. Also, I've considered doing something in English, because it is definitely one of my strengths, and I've always had an inclination for reading and writing. The main problem that I'm having with these majors is not whether I will be happy or not, but what kind of opportunity there is in the job market for each of the majors. It does me no good to do something really cool, then have a difficult time finding a job.

Any help that you can give out here would be greatly appreciated.
 
Originally posted by: Xanis
I've posted several threads about colleges and the military in the last couple months, because I'm a junior this year and I've been looking at colleges. I've decided that if I'm going to join the military, it will be after college. I have a several ideas on what I want to do, but I'm having a hard time making a decision. I know that I can always switch my major when I get to college, but I would like to have some sense of what I want to do.

I'm kind of torn because I want to do something along the lines of Graphic Design or Computer and Information Systems. Also, I've considered doing something in English, because it is definitely one of my strengths, and I've always had an inclination for reading and writing. The main problem that I'm having with these majors is not whether I will be happy or not, but what kind of opportunity there is in the job market for each of the majors. It does me no good to do something really cool, then have a difficult time finding a job.

Any help that you can give out here would be greatly appreciated.
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..enviromental science and engineering is the next big over the horizion racket. May as well get on the band wagon and cash in on it. Get a masters minimum. Get fitted for a white coat and clip board..and figure out what your going to do with your cash flow.
 
My suggestion is to take your gen-ed requirements your first quarter/semester. Once you start talking to your professors and new classmates and dormmates and what not, you'll get exposure to fields you currently know nothing about. I'd say that is the prime time to decide your major. It will help you decide if you still want to pursue comp sci, graphic art, english, or somethign completely differently like physics or sociology.

That's what happened to me. I wanted to do biomedical engineering. Then I said, screw this, I don't even want to be an engineer. Especially since I'm premed it doesn't matter, so I am now a Mathematics student cuz I love math! So jus ttake it easy for now talk to lots of people talk to professors TALK TO YOUR ADVISOR (this is very important) and by the end of your first semester I think you'll know for sure what you want. And, since you'll be taking gen-ed classes anyways, that extra semester of "thinking" will not set you back at all with graduating in 4 years (or however many years you plan to graduate in).
 
Advisor definitely, talk it over with him and see what they have to say. There's loads of fields you could go into related to graphic design or computer graphics, photo illustration, photo journalism, computer science, computer technology, information technology, CIS, or MIS, etc.
 
English: try to take literature and writing classes your first year. There isn't much of a direct job market besides teaching, but writing is used in everything from advertising to game design (plot / scripting / levels).

Graphic Design: another one used in many areas, website design, advertising, game design (models, level architechture).

Computer and Information Systems. That's several fields including low-paying network maintenance and high-paying software development (once you have experience).
 
Don't worry about it. I'm now a sophomore in college, and have yet to declare a major, although Econ will probably be it. I had no clue what I wanted to do when I first entered freshman year.
 
CIS - if you want this area, may I suggest getting a BS in Business Administration with the focus on IT.
 
Best way to get info is to talk to the students at things like club meetings for specific majors. Also talk to profs. In my experience this is far, far better than talking to a general advisor who typically know sh!t because they have no experience in the field.
 
yes --- no matter what you do, as OdiN said, it would be extremely wise to get a minor or, if you are feeling ambitious, a double major, in BUSINESS. I think this applies to just about any major you take up. And, keep in mind, at most universities, business classes are EASY AS HELL (compared to comp sci, for example). At the schools I have been to, the engineering/computer/hard science dropouts take business since its much easier.... but when paired with another major, it is perhaps the most useful (even alone it may be one of the most useful majors..)
 
Whatever you choose, please follow through with it. I have a few friends that wasted a couple of years because they switched majors more than once.

I am in engineering and although it is pretty stressfull and very time consuming, I would rather finish what I started rather than waste time and money, and end up with graduating with a degree that I never considered in the first place.
 
Originally posted by: Tu13erhead
Originally posted by: PhaZe
Whatever you choose, please follow through with it. I have a few friends that wasted a couple of years because they switched majors more than once.

I am in engineering and although it is pretty stressfull and very time consuming, I would rather finish what I started rather than waste time and money, and end up with graduating with a degree that I never considered in the first place.
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So you'd rather get a degree in something that you found out you didn't enjoy than switch to something you actually like doing?
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I would also, just because if it is something you could do- not necessarily something you want to do for the rest of your life. Get a degree and do what you want.
 
Before you go into computers, which everybody is doing, consider the long term employment opportunities that will be available when you graduate.
 
Originally posted by: phatj
My suggestion is to take your gen-ed requirements your first quarter/semester. Once you start talking to your professors and new classmates and dormmates and what not, you'll get exposure to fields you currently know nothing about. I'd say that is the prime time to decide your major. It will help you decide if you still want to pursue comp sci, graphic art, english, or somethign completely differently like physics or sociology.
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yep, you've got plenty of time.

Originally posted by: dirtboy
Before you go into computers, which everybody is doing, consider the long term employment opportunities that will be available when you graduate.
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Computer Science is the 9th most popular major. It's been heading down. Last time I checked on it, about 3 years ago, it was number 6.


Check out career sites and see what kind of job descriptions sound good to you. Visit message boards geared towards people in that field. And don't worry about it, you've got plenty of time to decide on a major.
 
Originally posted by: Tu13erhead
Originally posted by: phatj
yes --- no matter what you do, as OdiN said, it would be extremely wise to get a minor or, if you are feeling ambitious, a double major, in BUSINESS. I think this applies to just about any major you take up. And, keep in mind, at most universities, business classes are EASY AS HELL (compared to comp sci, for example). At the schools I have been to, the engineering/computer/hard science dropouts take business since its much easier.... but when paired with another major, it is perhaps the most useful (even alone it may be one of the most useful majors..)
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I'm thinking of doing MIS with a minor in either EE or IT. What are your thoughts on that versus, say, majoring in Computer Engineering?
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why minor in EE? The EE minor is useless if you have not taken all of its courses or if you lack the proper background, which is pretty much guarenteed with MIS. You're better off majoring in CE.

 
Don't worry about the job market. Don't worry about starving in the streets. Just pick the major that you want to do. Pick the coolest, the most fun. "Do what you love, and the money will follow........ hopefully 😉"
 
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